Hon. Julius Akpovoka, Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) House of Representatives aspirant for Ughelli North/Ughelli South/Udu Federal Constituency in Delta State, has claimed victory in the party's primary election and alleged attempts to manipulate the results. Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, Akpovoka stated he emerged winner with a total of 1,840 votes, ahead of his closest rival, Chief Dr. Christopher, who scored 560 votes, and a third candidate who received 315 votes. He said vote counts were conducted openly at polling levels across the three local government areas. In Ughelli North, he polled 1,205 votes against Christopher's 205; in Ughelli South, he scored 350 to Christopher's 285; and in Udu, he lost by about 18 or 20 votes, with Christopher scoring 305.
Akpovoka called on the NDC national leadership to intervene and preserve the integrity of the process. He urged the party committee overseeing the primary not to alter the figures, emphasizing that the party's reputation rests on integrity. "My appeal is for the committee to do the rightful thing of what transpired from the field, to put my name there so they will not go and manipulate any figures to destroy the party's name," he said. "So, they should not go and turn figures around and give us different figures." He named Victor Ohare as the returning officer in Ughelli South.
Akpovoka expressed confidence in party leaders, including former Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege and Sen. Seriake Dickson, to ensure fairness. He said the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) is weak in his constituency and claimed he would win the general election if given the party ticket. "In terms of popularity, in terms of canvassing votes, in terms of who reached out to the people, it's not even up to 10% of me," he said. "Once you give me the ticket, before 11 o'clock, not 12 o'clock, I have won my election."
Julius Akpovoka claims a clear lead in votes yet feels the need to publicly warn against result manipulation, exposing a gap between declared outcomes and official validation. His detailed vote breakdown across three local governments suggests a transparent count, but his appeal to party leaders implies the process remains vulnerable to behind-the-scenes interference. If the committee alters figures despite field results, it risks making the NDC's integrity a talking point rather than a practice. A candidate confident of winning the general election by 11 a.m. on election day may find his real challenge begins much earlier — in his own party's counting room.
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